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Russia has a stock of advanced new missiles "ready for use," President Vladimir Putin announced, a day after the country deployed a new ballistic missile in an attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. In an unscheduled televised address, Putin revealed that the Oreshnik missile, touted as being impossible to intercept, will undergo further tests, including under "combat conditions." The missile's deployment marks an escalation in the conflict, which also saw Ukraine use US and British missiles to strike Russian territory for the first time this week. Past diplomacy only confirmed US hostility: Kim Jong Un Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged global leaders to deliver a "serious response" to Putin's actions, stressing the need for the Russian leader to "face real consequences." Zelensky also appealed for enhanced air defense systems from Western allies, including the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) or upgraded Patriot missile systems, according to Interfax-Ukraine. In his address, Putin claimed the hypersonic Oreshnik missiles, capable of traveling at 10 times the speed of sound, would soon enter mass production. He framed their deployment as a response to Ukraine's use of Storm Shadow and Atacms missiles. Thursday's strike on Dnipro was notable for its intensity, with eyewitnesses reporting three hours of continuous explosions. Ukrainian officials described the missile’s power as akin to an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The week’s developments have sparked warnings from international leaders about the potential for broader conflict. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that the war had reached a decisive phase with a heightened risk of global escalation. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban advised taking Putin’s warnings "seriously," citing Russia's reliance on military power in policymaking. Russia fires intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine as first use North Korean leader Kim Jong Un added that the threat of nuclear war had never been greater, accusing the US of pursuing an "aggressive and hostile" stance. North Korea has reportedly sent thousands of troops to support Russia, with Ukrainian forces encountering them in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops have gained territory. US President Joe Biden confirmed granting Ukraine permission to use longer-range Atacms missiles against Russian targets, citing Moscow's use of North Korean troops as justification. The conflict, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has entered a critical stage as both sides seek to gain the upper hand ahead of Donald Trump’s anticipated presidency in January. Trump has pledged to end the war "within hours" without detailing his strategy. Source: BBC

Fighting between armed Sunni and Shiite groups in northwestern Pakistan killed at least 33 people and injured 25 others, a senior police officer from the region said Saturday. The overnight violence was the latest to rock Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and comes days after a deadly gun ambush killed 42 people. Shiite Muslims make up about 15% of the 240 million people in Sunni-majority Pakistan, which has a history of sectarian animosity between the communities. Gunmen kill 42 Shiites in northwest Pakistan Although the two groups generally live together peacefully, tensions remain, especially in Kurram. The senior police officer said armed men in Bagan and Bacha Kot torched shops, houses and government property. Intense gunfire was ongoing between the Alizai and Bagan tribes in the Lower Kurram area. “Educational institutions in Kurram are closed due to the severe tension. Both sides are targeting each other with heavy and automatic weapons,” said the officer, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Videos shared with The Associated Press showed a market engulfed by fire and orange flames piercing the night sky. Gunfire can also be heard. The location of Thursday’s attack was also targeted by armed men, who marched on the area. A suicide car bombing at a security post in northwestern Pakistan has killed 12 troops Survivors of the gun ambush said assailants emerged from a vehicle and sprayed buses and cars with bullets. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack and police have not identified a motive. Dozens of people from the district’s Sunni and Shiite communities have been killed since July, when a land dispute erupted in Kurram that later turned into general sectarian violence.

China announced Friday that it would expand visa-free entry to nine more countries as it seeks to boost tourism and business travel to help revive a sluggish economy. Starting Nov. 30, travelers from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Japan will be able to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said. That will bring to 38 the number of countries that have been granted visa-free access since last year. Only three countries had visa-free access previously, and theirs had been eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The addition of Japan appears to reflect a recent willingness on China's part to improve ties, which have soured in part over more strident talk from Tokyo on the Taiwan issue. The two countries reached a deal in September in their dispute over the release into the sea of treated but still radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant. Japan was one of the three countries with visa-free entry before the pandemic, and the government had repeatedly requested an early resumption, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We hope the visa exemption measure announced by the Chinese side will contribute to further smooth our exchanges between Japan and China,” he said. The permitted length of stay for visa-free entry is being increased from the previous 15 days, Lin said, and people participating in exchanges will be eligible for the first time. China has been pushing people-to-people exchange between students, academics and others to try to improve its sometimes strained relations with other countries. China strictly restricted entry during the pandemic and ended its restrictions much later than most other countries. It restored the previous visa-free access for citizens of Brunei and Singapore in July 2023, and then expanded visa-free entry to six more countries — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia — on Dec. 1 of last year. The program has since been expanded in tranches. Some countries have announced visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, notably Thailand, which wants to bring back Chinese tourists. For the three months from July through September this year, China recorded 8.2 million entries by foreigners, of which 4.9 million were visa-free, the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a Foreign Ministry consular official.  

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his past negotiations with the United States only confirmed Washington’s “unchangeable” hostility toward Pyongyang and described his nuclear buildup as the only way to counter external threats, state media said Friday. Kim spoke Thursday at a defense exhibition where North Korea displayed some of its most powerful weapons systems, including intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to target the U.S. mainland, the North’s Korean Central News Agency said. While meeting with army officers last week, he had pledged a “limitless” expansion of his military nuclear program. Kim has yet to comment directly on Donald Trump's reelection as U.S. president. During his first term, Trump held three highly orchestrated summits with the North Korean leader in 2018 and 2019, before the diplomacy collapsed over disagreements in exchanging the release of U.S.-led economic sanctions and the North’s steps to wind down its nuclear program. During the speech at the exhibition, Kim touched on the failed summits without naming Trump. “We have already gone as far as possible with the United States with negotiations, and what we ended up confirming was not a superpower’s will for coexistence, but a thorough position based on force and an unchangeable invasive and hostile policy,” toward North Korea, Kim said. Kim accused the United States of raising military pressure on North Korea by strengthening its military cooperation with regional allies and increasing the deployment of “strategic strike means,” apparently a reference to major U.S. assets like long-range bombers, submarines and aircraft carriers. He called for accelerated efforts to advance the capabilities of his nuclear-armed military, saying the country’s only guarantee of security to build up the “strongest defense power that can overwhelm the enemy.” Kim's expanding nuclear weapons and missile program includes various weapons targeting South Korea and Japan and longer range missiles that have demonstrated the range to reach the U.S. mainland. Analysts say Kim’s nuclear push is aimed at eventually pressuring Washington into accepting the North as a nuclear power and to negotiate economic and security concessions from a position of strength. In recent months, the priority of Kim’s foreign policy has been Russia, as he tries to strengthen his international footing, embracing the idea of a “new Cold War” and aligning with President Vladimir Putin’s broader conflicts with the West. Washington and its allies have accused North Korea of providing Russia with thousands of troops and huge amounts of military equipment, including artillery systems and missiles, to help sustain its fighting in Ukraine. Kim in return could possibly receive badly needed economic aid and possible Russian technology transfers that would possibly enhance the threat posed by his nuclear-armed military, according to outside officials and experts. Even with Trump returning to the White House, a quicky resumption of diplomacy with Pyongyang could be unlikely, according to some experts. North Korea's deepening alliance with Russia and the weakening sanctions enforcement against Pyongyang are presenting further challenges in the diplomatic push to resolve the nuclear standoff with Kim, who also would have a greater perception of his bargaining powers following a rapid expansion of his arsenal in recent years.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s board on Thursday condemned Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the agency, the second time it has done so in just five months. The International Atomic Energy Agency also called on Tehran to provide answers in a long-running investigation into uranium particles found at two locations that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites. Nineteen members of the IAEA board voted for the resolution, while Russia, China and Burkina Faso opposed it, and 12 abstained and one did not vote, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-doors vote. The resolution was put forward by France, Germany and Britain, supported by the United States. It comes at a critical time, ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Trump’s first term in office was marked by a particularly tense period with Iran, when the U.S. president pursued a policy of “maximum pressure” against Tehran. In 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, and imposed even harsher sanctions that have since hobbled Iran's economy further. The resolution comes on the heels of a confidential report earlier this week in which the IAEA said Iran has defied international demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels. That report, seen by the AP on Tuesday, said that as of Oct. 26, Iran has accumulated 182.3 kilograms (401.9 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%, an increase of 17.6 kilograms (38.8 pounds) since the last IAEA report in August. Uranium enriched at 60% purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. The resolution approved on Thursday requires the IAEA to now produce a “comprehensive and updated assessment” of Iran’s nuclear activities, which could eventually trigger a referral to the U.N. Security Council to consider more sanctions on Tehran. In a joint statement issued after the approval of the resolution, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the Iranian foreign ministry condemned the passing of the resolution, saying that Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami has issued orders to launch new and advanced centrifuges, powerful machines that spin rapidly to enrich uranium. In the past, the IAEA has named two locations near Tehran — Varamin and Turquzabad — where there have been traces of processed uranium, according to IAEA inspectors. Thursday’s resolution honed in on those locations, asking Tehran to provide “technically credible explanations” for the presence of the uranium particles at the sites." The IAEA has urged Iran to also provide answers about the origin and current location of that nuclear material in order for it “to be in a position to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful.” Western officials suspect that the uranium traces discovered by the IAEA could provide evidence that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program until at least 2003. Tehran insists its program is peaceful. One of the sites became known publicly in 2018 after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed it at the United Nations and called it a clandestine nuclear warehouse hidden at a rug-cleaning plant. Iran denied that, though IAEA inspectors later found the man-made uranium particles there. While the number of sites about which the IAEA has questions has been reduced from four to two since 2019, lingering questions have been a persistent source of tensions. On the subject of Varamin, the IAEA said that inspectors believe Iran used the site from 1999 until 2003 as a pilot project to process uranium ore and convert it into a gas form, which then can be enriched through spinning in a centrifuge. The IAEA said buildings at the site had been demolished in 2004. Turquzabad, the second location, is where the IAEA believes Iran brought some of the material from Varamin amid the demolition, though it said that alone cannot “explain the presence of the multiple types of isotopically altered particles” found there. Thursday’s resolution before the 35-member board at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, called on Tehran to explain the presence of the uranium particles at Varamin and Turquzabad, inform the U.N. nuclear watchdog about the current whereabouts of that nuclear material, and grant access to IAEA inspectors to all Iranian nuclear locations. A draft of the resolution was seen by the AP. Tehran continues to maintain that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and has told the IAEA that it has declared all of the nuclear material, activities and locations required under a so-called Safeguard Agreement it has with the IAEA. Iranian officials have vowed to retaliate immediately if a resolution is passed. In the past, Tehran has responded to IAEA resolutions by stepping up its nuclear activities. The resolution also requires IAEA director general Rafael Grossi to provide an updated assessment of Iran’s nuclear program — including the possible presence of undeclared nuclear material at the two locations — by spring 2025 at the latest. The assessment could be a basis for possible further steps by European nations, diplomats said, leading to potential escalation in tensions between Iran and the West. It could also provide a basis for European countries to trigger sanctions against Iran ahead of October 2025, when the original 2015 Iran nuclear deal expires, the diplomats said.

Gunmen opened fire on vehicles carrying Shiite Muslims in Pakistan's restive northwest on Thursday, killing at least 42 people, including six women, and wounding 20 others in one of the region's deadliest such attacks in recent years, police said. The attack happened in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where sectarian clashes between majority Sunni Muslims and minority Shiites have killed dozens of people in recent months. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack. It came a week after authorities reopened a key highway in the region that had been closed for weeks following deadly clashes. Local police official Azmat Ali said several vehicles were traveling in a convoy from the city of Parachinar to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, when gunmen opened fire. He said at least 10 passengers were in critical condition at a hospital. Aftab Alam, a provincial minister, said 42 people were killed in the attack, and that officers were investigating to determine who was behind it. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called the shootings a “terrorist attack." Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack, and Sharif said those behind the killing of innocent civilians will not go unpunished. Kurram resident Mir Hussain, 35, said he saw four gunmen emerge from a vehicle and open fire on buses and cars. “I think other people were also firing at the convoy of vehicles from nearby open farm field,” he said. “The firing continued for about 40 minutes.” He said he hid until the attackers fled. “I heard cries of women, and people were shouting for the help,” he said. Ibne Ali Bangash, a relative of one of the victims, described the convoy attack as the saddest day in Kurram's history. “More than 40 people from our community have been martyred,” he said. “It’s a shameful matter for the government." Baqir Haideri, a local Shiite leader, denounced the assault and said the death toll was likely to rise. He accused local authorities of not providing adequate security for the convoy of more than 100 vehicles despite fears of possible attacks by militants who had recently threatened to target Shiites in Kurram. Shop owners in Parachinar announced a strike on Friday to protest the attack. Shiite Muslims make up about 15% of the 240 million population of Sunni-majority Pakistan, which has a history of sectarian animosity between the communities. Although the two groups generally live together peacefully, tensions have existed for decades in some areas, especially in parts of Kurram, where Shiites are the majority. Dozens of people from both sides have been killed since July when a land dispute erupted in Kurram that later turned into general sectarian violence. Pakistan is tackling violence in the northwest and southwest, where militants and separatists often target police, troops and civilians. Violence in the northwest has been blamed on the Pakistani Taliban, a militant group that is separate from Afghanistan's Taliban but linked to them. Violence in southwestern Balochistan province has been blamed on members of the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army.

In a dramatic escalation of the ongoing conflict, Russia launched a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at Ukraine on Thursday, marking the first known use of such a weapon in the war. The missile, capable of travelling thousands of kilometres, was fired as part of an assault on Ukrainian territory, according to statements from the Ukrainian Air Force. The launch follows a series of significant exchanges between Russia and Ukraine, with the latter having earlier in the week fired US and British-supplied missiles at targets within Russian territory. The latest missile strike by Russia highlights the growing intensity of the conflict, as both sides employ increasingly sophisticated weaponry. The ICBM launch is a concerning development, underscoring the potential for further escalation in the war, with both nations possessing nuclear capabilities. Ukrainian officials have yet to release details about the missile’s target or any potential casualties from the attack, but the incident has raised alarms internationally. This move comes amid ongoing military confrontations in the region, with both Ukraine and Russia having received support from their respective international allies. The missile strike marks another chapter in a protracted and devastating conflict, which has led to significant loss of life and widespread displacement. Global leaders are calling for restraint as tensions continue to mount, with concerns that the use of such powerful weapons could further destabilise the region and provoke a broader international crisis. As the situation unfolds, the international community remains on high alert, monitoring developments in real-time and urging for diplomatic solutions to avert further escalation. Source: With inputs from wirers

A Pakistani court granted bail Wednesday to former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a graft case, his lawyer said. But with a slew of other charges pending against him, the opposition leader is staying in prison. Still, the order by a superior court in the capital, Islamabad, was a boost for Khan in the case in which he is accused, along with his wife, Bushra Bibi, of keeping and selling state gifts in violation of government rules when he was in power. Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament in 2022, has denied the charge. The hearings in the trial on the graft charges started in July and are still ongoing. Khan has so far been embroiled in over 150 cases and has been sentenced in several, including to three years, 10 years, 14 years and seven years to be served concurrently under Pakistani law. His convictions were later overturned in appeals but he cannot be freed due to other, pending cases against him. His lawyer, Salman Safdar said he remained confident Khan would be freed but experts say there are at least eight cases standing in the way of Khan's release on bail. Khan, who has been held in a prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi for over a year, has maintained his innocence and has argued that the cases are an attempt to sideline him politically by keeping him out of the public area. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, has also been demanding his release. Khan’s supporters have called for a rally in Islamabad on Sunday to demand his release — despite a government ban on the gathering. A suicide car bombing at a security post in northwestern Pakistan has killed 12 troops Pakistan’s laws allow government officials and politicians to keep gifts given to them by foreign dignitaries, but they must correctly declare the market value of those gifts and declare any money they earned after selling them. Last month, Bibi was freed on bail in the same case but will have to appear in court for the hearings alongside her husband.

Japanese officials said Wednesday they are closely watching to see if China keeps its promise to prevent further violations of Japan's airspace after explaining that an incursion by a Chinese military aircraft nearly three months ago was unintentional and caused by turbulence. Tokyo protested and sought an explanation from Beijing after a Chinese Y-9 reconnaissance plane briefly entered Japanese airspace off the southern main island of Kyushu on Aug. 26, prompting Japan's military to scramble fighter jets and warn the plane. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said China acknowledged the airspace violation and assured Japan that it would make efforts to prevent a recurrence. “We take note of China's explanation, and we will closely watch Chinese military activity from now on,” Hayashi said. China said the airspace violation occurred when the plane's pilot took emergency measures in response to turbulence in the area and was not intentional, Japan's Foreign Ministry said. Japanese officials did not disclose further details, such as when China provided the explanation, citing the protocol of diplomatic exchanges. Even though aircraft can encounter turbulence, such a significant deviation from a flight route is unthinkable, Japanese officials said. NHK public television reported that Japanese defense officials said they still find the airspace violation unacceptable because it was a serious breach of territorial sovereignty. A suicide car bombing at a security post in northwestern Pakistan has killed 12 troops Japanese officials are concerned about China's growing military activity around Japan's southwestern waters and airspace. It has led Tokyo to significantly reinforce its defenses in the area, which includes remote islands that are considered key to Japan's defense strategy. Japan is also worried about joint military activities between China and Russia. A Chinese survey ship violated Japanese territorial waters off a southern island in August. In September, the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and two destroyers sailed between Japan’s westernmost island of Yonaguni — just east of Taiwan — and nearby Iriomote, entering Japan's “contiguous zone,” an area just outside of a country’s territorial waters in which it can still exercise some control over maritime traffic.  

A suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden vehicle at a security post in northwestern Pakistan, killing 12 members of the security forces and wounding several others, officials said Wednesday. The attack, one of the deadliest in recent months, happened Tuesday evening in Bannu, a district in restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said in a statement. It said in the ensuing exchange of fire, six “khwarij” — a phrase which is used for Pakistani Taliban — were killed. “The attempt to enter the post was effectively thwarted by own troops, which forced the khwarij to ram an explosive laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the post,” the statement said. It said the suicide attack led to collapse of a portion of a perimeter wall and damaged the adjoining infrastructure, resulting in the “martyrdom" of 12 security forces. A breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, known as the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement. Pakistan has witnessed a steady increase in violence since November 2022, when the Pakistani Taliban ended a monthslong cease-fire with the government in Islamabad. The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, are a separate group but are allies of the Afghanistan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan emboldened the TTP, whose top leaders and fighters are hiding in Afghanistan. In December 2023, a suicide bomber targeted a police station’s main gate in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in northwestern Pakistan, killing 23 troops. Tuesday's attack happened in Bannu while the country's political and military leadership was meeting in Islamabad to discuss how to respond to the surge in militant violence. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday approved a “comprehensive military operation” against separatist groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army, in southwestern Balochistan province. The order came following a Nov. 9 suicide attack by the group at a train station that killed 26 people in Quetta, the capital of the province. In recent months. violence has also surged in northwest Pakistan, where security forces often target TTP and the Gul Bahadur group. Abdullah Khan, a senior defense analyst and managing director of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, said over 900 security forces have been killed in militant attacks in Pakistan since 2022, when TTP ended the cease-fire with the government. “TTP and other groups have expanded their operations, showing they are getting more recruits, money and weapons,” Khan said. He said there is a need for political stability in the country to defeat the insurgents. Pakistan has experienced a political crisis since 2022, when then-Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament. He was arrested and imprisoned in 2023. Since then, his supporters have been rallying to demand his release.